Aqueous photodegradation of methyl orange and antimicrobial activity against E. coli and S. aureus bacteria using pH modified MgO nanomaterials

In the present study, magnesium oxide (MgO) nanostructures have been synthesized using a facile hydrothermal method with different NaOH concentrations (1–4 M). The prepared materials were characterized by XRD, SEM, FTIR, PL, and RAMAN spectroscopy, and finally potential as photocatalyst and antimicrobial agent were evaluated. The XRD results of synthesized materials under different pH concentrations showed slight variations in structural parameters. Lattice parameters values were varied up to 0.12% for different base solution concentrations. Spherical particles were observed for 1–3 M NaOH concentration and aggregates for 4 M NaOH solution. Photocatalytic investigations of the synthesized materials showed that powders prepared by 1 M NaOH concentration presented the highest degradation (91% at pH 12) for Methyl orange dye under sunlight after 2 h of irradiation. Similarly, the highest zone of inhibition was formed for MgO nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized by 1 M NaOH base concentration against isolates of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. Hence, the MgO NPs have photocatalytic and antimicrobial properties to be used for different treatments in the industries. Therefore, MgO is an important inorganic oxide and can be widely used in many fields of technology. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.].